Uconn

UConn freshman must prove her balky knee is healthy BY ROGER CLEAVELAND REPUBLICAN-AMERICAN

The highest ranked of the four recruits in the UConn women's freshman class, 5-foot-11 guard Gabby Williams from Reno, Nev., is also the Huskies' most tenuous addition for the coming season.

That should not be misintepreted as a slight of Williams, but merely as a cautionary judgement based on her pair of right knee injuries the past two seasons.

While the recovery from the second anterior cruciate ligament tear in January is progressing nicely, Williams hasn't been cleared for contact, so she can't take part in pickup games with teammates yet. Regardless, she's upbeat because she's ahead of schedule, knows what to expect in the rehab process and feels as if fate allowed her to diffuse a time bomb.

After tearing both her ACL and meniscus during her junior season at Reed High School, she played 13 games last season as a senior and averaged 19.8 points, 7.9 rebounds and 4.9 assists before injuring the knee again.

Enrolled now in summer classes at UConn while she rehabs a second time, Williams feels fortunate the knee gave out when it did the second time, even if it was a result of playing too soon last year or playing after she felt twinges of pain.

"I'm actually really glad I did because what they're thinking happened is that my graft (from the first surgery) didn't take," Williams said. "So I'm glad I played and found

See UCONN, Page 10B

out that it wasn't right, or else I just would've come here with nothing different about it.

"It wasn't the doctor's fault or anything. It was just like that one-in-1,000 chance that it doesn't take. I'm glad we caught it with enough time for me to get surgery and rehab it before this season starts."

She said that last year her knee didn't feel nearly as good as it does now. So even though there was initial speculation she might sit out her freshman year to make sure her knee was completely sound, her intentions are to be ready to compete for a starting role in training camp.

UConn coach Geno Auriemma isn't surprised.

"You figure with the rest of June, all of July, all of August and all of September, (UConn athletic trainer Rosemary Ragle) has been down this road a lot, so I'm pretty confident that we will be fine," Auriemma said.

Williams rehabs with Ragle every day for an hour. Then she works out with strength and conditioning coach Amanda Kimball. When time permits, she heads into the gym to shoot. She believes she may return a better players because she's had lots of time to improve her shooting range. She's always used her great size to post up opposing guards, and now she believes her pull-up and 3-point jumpers can be weapons.

While her right leg doesn't have near the strength or muscle mass of her left leg right yet, she's pleased with all the agility work she's been allowed to do already.

"I'm able to do 90 percent of the workouts that everyone does," Williams said. "I just can't do contact, and I can't sprint too hard or too often. I'm ahead of where I thought I'd be, honestly. I didn't think I would be able to cut like I am right now."

Auriemma has said on numerous occasions that Williams is one of the best athletes the Huskies have ever recruited. In addition to playing basketball, she is a track and field high jumper with Olympic aspirations. As a 15-year-old, she finished fifth at the U.S. Olympic trials with a jump of 6 feet, 2 1/4 inches.

She's decided to concentrate just on basketball at UConn, but doesn't rule out resuming Olympic training after college.

She doesn't believe the second knee injury has detracted from her athletic ability. In fact, she says in some ways it could enhance it because she is very focused on getting into the best shape possible to compensate for the injury. She's also determined to make Auriemma look good.

"I don't want to make him look bad by coming out and not being the athlete that he says I am," Williams said. "But it also makes me focus on trying to be more than just an amazing athlete. I also want to be a really skillful player. So it is a lot to live up to, especially when he says something about you."

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